Results from Stream Clean 2018

10/8/2018 12:00:00 AM

Volunteers Picked Up Nearly Two Tons of Debris

On Saturday, Oct. 6, close to 600 volunteers gathered to clean up waterways in and around Denton at the City’s annual event, Stream Clean. As a result, 2,976 pounds of trash and 944 pounds of recyclable materials were picked up, as well as dozens of large items, such as tires, furniture, and building materials.

“Cleaning our waterways keeps trash and illegally-dumped items from ending up in Lake Lewisville and contaminating our water supply,” said Katherine Barnett, City of Denton Sustainability and Customer Initiatives Manager. “Stream Clean is an opportunity for residents to work together for the better of our community.”

Though volunteers primarily picked up small items, such as bottles and cans, they were surprised by the number and variety of large items.

“We found a burned couch, a large inflatable pool, two boxes of ceramic tile, shingles, a car bumper, and a very large skateboard ramp, just to name a few,” said Barnett. “But overall, we found less trash than last year at several of our repeat sites, and the number of tires continues to decrease.”

Stream Clean is sponsored by the City of Denton Water Utilities Department, Sustainability, Watershed Protection, and the Solid Waste and Recycling Department. Volunteers included families and individuals, local scout troops, and groups from Denton ISD, the University of North Texas, and Texas Woman’s University.

Next year’s Stream Clean is tentatively planned for a Saturday in October. Information about volunteering will be available at www.cityofdenton.com/streamclean.